Driver dead after truck and car crash into Colonial Lake in Lawrence

A truck and a car ended up in a lake off of Business Route 1 in Lawrence Township Thursday.
Jackie Schear - The Trentonian

LAWRENCE — Kathleen Meszaros and her 8-year-old son were driving to Princeton Thursday afternoon when a dump truck rear-ended a car and pushed it into Colonial Lake.

“I heard a big boom, and then I saw fire and metal scraping the concrete,” Meszaros said. “I don’t think the truck driver ever noticed the car. I saw him with something in his hand. I don’t know what it was, but he was not paying attention to the car.”

Witnesses say the rear of the car was underneath the dump truck as the two vehicles drove through the intersection of Route 1 and Lake Drive, crashed into a guardrail and then splashed into the lake.

“It was like a scene from Final Destination the movie,” Jonnee Nelson said. “It was unbelievable.”

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According to police, the man who was driving the car, a silver Nissan Altima, died as a result of the crash. The dump truck driver, though, survived the accident and was treated at Capital Health Regional Medical Center.

“The truck was completely on top of the car when we arrived and the car was completely submerged,” Lt. Charles Edgar said. “It took us a long time to get the truck off of the car, and the car is heavily damaged.”

At this time, police are unsure of the circumstances surrounding the accident. But Meszaros said she and the driver of the Altima were headed northbound on Route 1 and were stopped at a red light around 3:15 p.m. when the accident occurred. Meszaros was in the right lane, she said, and the Altima was in the left lane. Meszaros said she was momentarily distracted by her son, but then suddenly heard a crash and saw the dump truck speeding past the left side of her vehicle. Meszaros said she initially thought the Altima had accelerated through the light, but she then noticed the dump truck veer to the right. And that’s when she realized the Altima was being pushed by the truck.

“That light was red, and the dump truck was driving too fast,” Nadia Nelson said. “Then, the car caught on fire, and the truck pushed it into the water. It was tragic.”

Police say a small amount of diesel fuel and gasoline spilled into the lake, but it was quickly contained. Police also say that each vehicle was occupied by only the drivers, and that the truck driver was conscious when he was taken to the hospital. At this time, police do not know the ages nor identifications of the drivers. But police confirmed that the truck driver was operating a vehicle owned by Scorer, which is a trucking company in Pemberton.

Witnesses say the truck driver sat in his vehicle for several minutes and never attempted to dive into the lake and help the driver of the Altima. But police have not said whether the truck driver was injured in such a way that he was unable to exit the dump truck.

Police say Colonial Lake is around four to five feet deep, and that at least a dozen people witnessed the accident. Law enforcement was on-scene well into Thursday evening investigating the case and talking to those witnesses.

“After I heard the crash, I thought my son and I were hurt,” Meszaros said. “I thought to myself, ‘Are we in heaven,’ because I didn’t feel any pain. I use the law of attraction everyday to bring good things my way. But that could’ve been me.”

About the Author

Penny Ray has worked in media for the past 14 years. His career began in radio broadcasting, and most recently he served as editor of Homicide Watch D.C. Reach the author at pennyray@trentonian.com
or follow Penny on Twitter: @Penny_Ray.